Subscribe to this blog

Sign Up for Our Emails

Review: The Flesh Cartel

In this first installment of the exciting new psychosexual thriller, The Flesh Cartel, orphaned brothers Mat and Dougie Carmichael are stolen in the night from their own home. Taken to a horrifying processing facility, they are assessed, microchipped, and subjected to unspeakable brutality—all in preparation for sale to the highest bidder.

In a world where every person has a price, the beautiful and subduable PhD student Dougie is highly prized. His brother, a rough-edged MMA fighter, is less desirable—and potentially too dangerous—but he still has his own appeal.

Abused and locked up under round the clock surveillance, with no idea where they are or even why they’ve been taken, escape seems impossible, which leaves staying together their only hope. And after being separated once by the foster system, they'll do anything to keep it from happening again. Anything at all.

~ The Flesh Cartel by Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau

Recently while browsing the Riptide Publishing website, I came upon an interesting concept that I had not yet tried, called serial fiction. I was curious, and the series that Riptide was offering was The Flesh Cartel. So, I read the warnings, themes, and kinks, made a little yuck face, and jumped right in. Read on for a non-spoilery review of The Flesh Cartel, Season 1: Damnation.

Episode 1 starts off with Nikolai Petrovic, a boutique sex slave trainer, and an introduction to the auction process. We learn that the process begins when an individual is kidnapped and taken to a procurement facility. They are put through horrific torture, cleansing, and an evaluation. Pictures and video are done for each person. When it’s time for an auction, the individual and information are sent to an auction house. Nikolai and other trainers bid on the “merchandise” and train them, like pets, for their clients or for their own personal use. It vaguely reminded me of Zsadist’s past experience in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, except on a much more complex level.The main characters, Mat and Dougie are devoted brothers. Their parents are dead, and they only have each other. Mat is twenty-nine. He is a bouncer and does MMA fighting for a living in order to support them and to fund Dougie's schooling. Mat struggles with feelings of failure for not winning fights. He feels he has to be the “strong one” for them both. Dougie is twenty-three and still Mat’s “baby brother”. He has a Master’s in social work and is working on his Ph.D in clinical psychology. Dougie is softer around the edges, and equally worries about his brother. He looks forward to finishing his degree, finding a good job, and hopefully getting his brother to quit fighting. Each of them feels that the other one sacrifices more. In the beginning, we learn that Mat is gay and Dougie is straight. So far, in Episodes 1 & 2, I haven’t seen how that is very relevant to the story, except for the shock factor in Dougie's abuse. Both brothers are viciously kidnapped from their home. Madame decides to keep Mat, rather than have him killed, and so Mat and Dougie’s journey through hell begins. It breaks my heart to see how Dougie's insecurity at not being the "tough one" is shaping his thoughts and decisions throughout this process. Meanwhile, Mat's mind seems to be holding up pretty well, except when he worries about how Dougie is dealing with it.

It was fucking evil, what he'd done to Mat...Mat was principled. Willing to die and leave what was left of their dignity intact. Dougie was a fucking coward. ~Dougie, TFC #1: Capture

Dougie had long since stopped trying to protect Mat the same way. Good, Mat told himself. He could take the punishment. Was a fucking pro at it. But Dougie...Dougie was just a kid, and academic, soft and sensitive and sweet. Whether he'd still be when they got out of here... ~Mat, TFC #2: Auction

Episode 2 begins again with Nikolai. I am more intrigued by him now. He wants to buy Mat to train for a very special request by a client. Finding a slave like Mat is unusual in this business, with his hardness and tenacity. Dougie is more desirable for his beauty, refinement, and malleability. Dougie is going to be a high-end slave, while Mat could be sold for much less. Nikolai's problem is that it appears that they are to be sold together. Episode 2 continues on with Mat and Dougie being prepared for the auction process. It concludes with the auction itself. Now it's time to get real about how hard-core this series is. The following "kinks" are listed for this series: barebacking, bondage, caging/confinement, chastity, cum-play, double penetration, electrical play, enema, face-fucking, forced orgasm, hate-sex/angry sex, humiliation, impact play, incest (actual), insertion, power exchange, rimming, sadomasochism, slavery (real), and total power exchange. I'm putting myself out there by even admitting that I am reading this, much less that I will continue reading it, and even more, that I actually think that it's good! I do think that the brutality is overdone, but I also think that it's a worthwhile read so far. Looking ahead to Season 2, I noticed that there were no more warnings of "forced incest" listed. Thank goodness for small favors! I chose The Flesh Cartel because I wanted to try the serial fiction format. I became intrigued after reading the blurb because The Flesh Cartel is a series that pushes all human boundaries to unthinkable levels. This book series is seriously disturbing. They are very violent, completely debasing, and just when you think Mat and Dougie will get a break, they don't. I was really shocked at the end of Episode 2. Yet, there's a part of me that needs to keep reading. It’s a bit like watching the Saw movies. They are terrifying, but because there is a clever plot, I can stand to watch it. Particularly for this series, I have to have hope for an HEA (Happily Ever After). Jericho Barrons would call me an idealistic fool. Guilty as charged. I cannot fathom how an HEA can come out of this story. You can bet that I will stay tuned to find out, and I am rooting for the “good guys”. I am "all in", and looking forward to the next installment.Series order:The Flesh Cartel, Season 1: Damnation

The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture

The Flesh Cartel #2: Auction

The Flesh Cartel, Season 2: Fragmentation

The Flesh Cartel #3: Choices, 1/7/2013

The Flesh Cartel #4: Consequences, 2/4/2013

The Flesh Cartel #5: Wins and Losses, 3/4/2013

The Flesh Cartel #6: Brotherhood, 4/1/2013

These are available for purchase at www.riptidepublishing.com. I'd love to know if anyone else has tried the serial fiction format, and if so, are there series you would recommend? Has anyone else read a book or series that you felt embarrassed to admit you were reading?

Comments

I've never tried serial fiction before, but I am very interested, especially with this book. Can't wait to start it!The only time I've ever been embarrassed is when I started reading my smut books. Now, not so much. ;-)

Thanks, Jaymie! It's kind of a neat format, but the constant cliffhangers might not be for everyone. I imagine that they will become more "nail-biters" as it goes on. Cliffhangers drive me bananas...until something shiny distracts me (so like Ty Grady :-) ).

Ha! Now I know why I couldn't keep reading much after book 1. I wasn't much for the Saw movies, either. I'm really intrigued by the story, and like you said, the plot is complex and interesting and I really want to know what happens next. Maybe i'll wait for the next several installments to be released; if I know there is redemption it will make some of the "debasement" a bit easier to handle.

Great work highlighting all the great things about this story while giving fair warning to those who haven't read yet and are thinking about picking them up. :)

Thanks, Veronica! That's a great idea, to wait until they are all finished to see if there is redemption. Meanwhile, I'm just holding on to hope. Now that I've started down the path, I've got to keep reading as they come out.

Wonderful review Amanda. You have pulled me along on this rollercoaster and I really need to know everything is going to be okay. Veronica you are so right, there had better be redemption / sanity and some kind of happy ending at the all of this, or I may be very, very drunk and depressed by the end of the serial.

I can't imagine my reading this series and not having the HEA-book (hopefully there will be one eventually)on my Kindle or somewhere close enough to peek at it when I feel like the world comes crashing down. And I feel like with this series it will happen more often than I'm comfortable with.

Excellent review, Amanda and I can't wait to have at least the next two installments and start reading it, because right now, this is too much for my fickle, spo-ho heart.

I can't imagine my reading this series and not having the HEA-book (hopefully there will be one eventually)on my Kindle or somewhere close enough to peek at it when I feel like the world comes crashing down. And I feel like with this series it will happen more often than I'm comfortable with.

Excellent review, Amanda and I can't wait to have at least the next two installments and start reading it, because right now, this is too much for my fickle, spo-ho heart.

Loved your review, Amanda! I still want to read these books, but now I'm thinking that I'll probably wait until they are all out and make sure of that HEA before I read them. It's not the kinks and warnings that put me off the series, just the thought that it might not have a HEA ending! Plus I hate cliffhangers and waiting for them to be resolved. So yep, this series will definitely be on my TBR-When-They're-Completed list. :D

Post a Comment

You Might Want to Read...

Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced, a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe-seer we first met in Bloodfever, who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes.

With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support.

So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us for just a fe…

A SUPER Spoilery Discussion of Feversong by Karen Marie Moningby: Zee the Terrible and Barbara BonesIt's now been two weeks since we got our hot little hands on Feversong, the final book in the Mac & Barrons part of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. It's almost all we can talk about in the Saucy Wenches hallways (which is really online, but you get the drift) and we have lots of thoughts and opinions so we aren't putting off our Super Spoilery Recap Extravaganza any longer!

Zee told you about how much she loved it in her Wench review, here, and it will surprise exactly no one that Barb did, too. Loved it to pieces. Thought it was pretty much perfect, exactly the kind of conclusion KMM has been promising us since she gave us Iced, leaving everyone precisely where they need to be. That said, we have lots and lots and LOTS of thoughts. So come with us through the jump where we're dishing all the dirt, in filthy, spoilery detail. We mentioned that spoilers would a…

If you've been following our What the Wenches are Reading posts, you'll know that I recently finished up a re-read of the last three Fever books, Iced, Burned, and Feverborn. You may also know that I've been rereading the Chicagoland Vampire series and posting the questions I've come up with as I go. Well, as I was re-reading the Fever books, I realized I have some questions for Ms. Karen Marie Moning also. Now, I really don't expect to get answers to most, if not all, of these questions. That doesn't mean that I won't even bother asking. On the contrary, knowing that we may never know the answers is driving me fucking crazy. Keep reading after the break to see what these questions are and hopefully watch me stave off the madness a little longer.

Or How I Learned to Stop, Smell the Pig Shite, and Fall in Love with the Fifth Book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series

As the wait for the new Outlander book and television series drags on (and oooooonnnnnnnnaaaarrrggghhh), many fans have been rereading the first seven books in the series. Fascinating online discussions abound as to the motivations of the characters, the nuances of meaning within various scenes, and future possibilities and foreshadowing.

Amongst enthusiastic effusions about all things even remotely associated with our beloved series, I’ve seen one recurring subject of complaint. People like to pick on The Fiery Cross. “It’s too slow.” “It doesn’t have enough action.” “Where’s the mystery?”

So during my recent reread, I set out to take a few notes about memorable moments. But I gave that up early on. There were far too many. Because the book was like a beautiful love letter straight from the heart of Diana Gabaldon. Lovingly crafted. For me and the legions of other fan…

They say there is no such thing as a perfect person. I disagree. There exists one man who is the embodiment of perfection. That one man is Jensen Ackles. Don't believe me? Well, for this fangirl Friday, I am here to prove to you that Jensen Ackles is the world's most perfect man. Though, I will concede to the fact that there are, in actuality, several perfect men out there. But, Jensen is definitely one of them. He's got it all, the whole package. Looks, talent, personality, everything. Keep reading after the jump to watch me go into full on fangirl meltdown. Or, as some of my friends call it, a full-on Jensen Situation. Yes, we have a term for reveling in his perfection.

Stalk Us

Saucy Wenches Book Club's currently-reading book montage153 membersWelcome to the Saucy Wenches Book Club.
We love to read a variety of genres. In particular urban fantasy, fantasy and mystery are the main genres the group reads. We do read other genres if a series or book catches our interest.
Join us for our monthly Book of the Month, Full Series Read and Yearly Challenge.